Convincing evidence of active hydrothermal circulation on an ultra-slow ridge was first discovered in 1997 at several locations between 58.2° and 65.8°E on the Southwest Indian Ridge (SWIR) during a plume survey using optical sensors; German et al. (1998): "the strongest of the plumes identified during our survey: plume 2"; failed to find active vent on Shinkai 6500 dive in 1998

Notes Relevant to Biology:

Year and How Discovered (if active, visual confirmation is listed first):

SOHRIN et al. (1999) CTD observations to search for hydrothermal activity on the Southwest Indian Ridge and the Central Indian Ridge just north of the Rodriguez Triple Junction: the Yokosuka/Shinkai MODE'98 Leg 3 INDOYO cruise. JAMSTEC Journal of Deep Sea Research 15: 7-11